Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsm13d..04r&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SM13D-04
Physics
[2704] Magnetospheric Physics / Auroral Phenomena, [2721] Magnetospheric Physics / Field-Aligned Currents And Current Systems, [2730] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetosphere: Inner, [2732] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetosphere Interactions With Satellites And Rings
Scientific paper
It has been speculated that cryo-volcanic activity at Enceladus could lead to electrodynamic coupling of Enceladus to Saturn and generate auroral footprints in Saturn's atmosphere. Here we report on how a combination of Cassini in situ plasma and remote sensing observations led to the discovery of the Enceladus auroral footprint. During a close flyby of Enceladus the plasma instruments detected magnetic field-aligned ion and electron beams propagating away from Saturn toward Enceladus consistent with a source at Saturn's northern ionosphere. The power associated with these beams corresponded to an estimated auroral output of between 0.4 and 1.3 mW/m2. Two weeks after the flyby the Cassini ultraviolet spectrograph obtained three images of Saturn's aurora containing the expected Enceladus auroral footprint at ~64.4 degres North at an estimated brightness of at least 0.3 mW/m2. The combined observations reveal an important, formerly missing, link: direct electrodynamic coupling of Enceladus to a detectable auroral spot in Saturn's atmosphere.
Caps Mimi Uvis
Mag Science Teams.
Pryor Wayne R.
Rymer Abigail M.
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